Hot Rods So normal people don't care about garages?

I looks like my neighbor took his place off the market but when it was advertised the real estate agents blew off the fact that has a 40x 60 (Could be larger) commercial shop that you can drive a semi in one end with trailer and close the door and then open the door on the other end and drive it out plus a big shop area on the other side with another door. Plus it has a nice house that was built in the past 10 years that has a two car garage on it. The owner uses it as his truck shop for his trucking company but it would make a nice personal or hot rod shop and has plenty of land. the rub is that the view from the house isn't as good as it could be.

 

We were in Minneapolis last week visiting my wifes son and girl friend. There is a little one care garage in the back on the alley, they just store junk/stuff/ etc in it My wife told them that a car is the second most valuable asset you have after your house. Crickets Neither of them care. My dad (and my wife's dad too) always wanted everything "shedded", dad farmed and almost every implement was in dry storage. I think we are in the minority and I guess that's ok.

 

That's what I'm planing for soon. I did realize that I like old houses and old buildings but I don't have enough time and energy to do a house and cars. So the cars win, new steel building with either a carport style area for a double wide or a wall inside with a proper small living area inside.

 

If that's normal I'm glad my wife and myself are not normal. We moved to the place we have now 18 years ago. It's 5 acres. When my wife found it, she said the house isn't the greatest, but we can fix it up and it has a 60' shop with a concrete floor. A few years later we built a 40x40 barn that holds parts and extra cars. And I did fix the house up for her.

 

My daughter sent me this link, definitely un normal
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/...ssage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

 

After our two girls grew up and went their separate ways we moved out of our 2500 sq ft house with an oversize attached 6 car garage we decided to downsize. Working with a realtor, we said that we had to have at least a 3-car garage. Short story, we found a new 1500 sq ft house with a 4-car garage. One bay measures 45' deep by 14' wide. This serves as my hot rod and shop area. Bay two measures 24' wide by 19 ' deep. Parks my wife's car and my pickup. I do miss my 6-car garage!

 

I'm still kicking myself back in 2016 a house came up for sale on an acre with a giant barn, but we didn't jump on it for some dumb reason. Probably could've rented half of it out for storage and still had room left over.

 

Hello,

We all like garages. In our case, we started with our 40s houses that had narrow two car garages to keep our family cars clean. The portion of So Cal where we grew up had constant fog or ocean mist always rolling in during the consistent, afternoon West winds. Our windows usually had some kind of coating on them on the next morning. Of course, anything that was left outside had the same coating on it. So, a constant wash was due, almost everyday. I earned money washing my mom’s windows weekly. If we left our trikes or any toy outside, it had the salty coating on them, too.

Built in 1946 and was one of the first “tract” homes sets. Every 4th house was the same, with the front flipped or the similar. Four models of homes in varying sizes. But, all small by today’s standards. Less then 900 sq. ft. Three house models had a small two car garage, the 4th model had a single car garage, but a huge backyard.

In the days of Lion’s Dragstrip, folks always said the dragstrip always had an advantage as far as the “density of the air” was concerned for E.T. times and speed. We knew it as salt air incursion. All of the cars in the spectators side were coated with a thick layer of salt mist and the competitor cars, also had the same coating. But, since they were moving, some had less. Ha!

If one had parked in the pits and happened to be walking around looking/talking to other competitors, the car became coated with that ever present mist. Some nights, it was thick and other times, barely a coating, but still, a salt air coating was guaranteed if one went to Lion’s Dragstrip. The dragstrip was farther West from our Westside of Long Beach houses. But, we all got the “normal” coating every afternoon and night.

So, our cars were usually in garages to help with the “less is more” mist problem and clean cars.

Jnaki

Since I was on the low end of the pecking order, when I got my flathead powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, it had its own place on the grass in our backyard. (Not on the concrete driveway/garage pad.)

Luckily, there was one of the earliest power wash stall business at the end of our street and PCH, about three blocks away. So, after a hard day’s work at the beach, it definitely had a layer of salt air all over it.

The Blue Arrow showing my brother and his Everlast Boxing Trunks. So, where was I? The Red Arrow shows the 40 Ford Sedan Delivery with the rear door open. I was probably taking a long after lunch nap on the small mattress inside.

Now, after a day at the beach, the cars were all covered with salt spray of sorts. But, on the way home, we usually stopped at the power wash station and the sedan delivery got its shower for cleanliness. By the time we drove home three blocks, it was dry and shiny as usual.

Sometimes, if our dad was not home, I put it in the garage. But, with three cars and three drivers, it was a “roll the dice” as to who got to keep their car in the garage. Well, except when our dad came home from work. So, yes, we were “normal,” but liked garages as small as it was… YRMV

 

Today with the issue of wiring being chewed by squirrels, a garage is even more critical.

As said earlier, even intelligent Farmers use open sided sheds to keep sun, weather off equipment. One farmer I visited, had $1M in equipment in his geo-thermal heated and cooled shop.

If allowed by zoning, car ports do wonders to protect from sun & hail.

 

Garages are only a selling point if its on the buyers want list which is why its claimed garage does not put significant value on home
My wife found our current house,,,i wanted garage but the wife said “just build one” as she found us a house in the city on half acre…she also went and got the building permit for garage..

 

On my street almost all the people use their garage for storage so their everyday car sits in the driveway. It's strange to me that normal people don't care about garages when most of the houses around me are built with attached three car garages.

 

I find it interesting that this even comes up for discussion.
Notwithstanding the participants here, there's more and more municipalities cracking down on, or adopting some kind of "property maintenance code", that doesn't allow one to store anything outside of a building, and it applies to larger stuff as well. If a large camper or motorhome, it must be parked on a driveway-type surface. (Can't be parked in the grass alongside your house.)

That seems to REQUIRE a garage or outbuilding, if only for the lawn care equipment. (Assuming an attached garage.)

Me?.....I'm lucky enough to have an attached 24'x24', plus a detached 24'x24' on a rear adjoining lot. Gives me not-quite-enough space for all the crap I seem to "need".

Roger

 

If the will is there,ya don't need garage,but do need a space.
Back in the late 1950s I did not have a garage ,the house I grew up in had a 2 car,Car Port that my Mom's car n Dad's car has the spots.
But Dad let me use the back yard { grass n weeds }with rule that my car crap had to stay out of site.
I could,for short times park temp in car port,if I asked first. > Was only place there was a chain bolted in raffter to lift engines with.
As a teen,I first built my 28A { took most of 3 years all through Jr High } ,then in Sr High School, I did full custom "J" ,but that only took me about 7 months{ I was also working part time ,a few days a week at a Body Shop after school.
When I got my own house,having a garage was for sure a selling point. Was a fair size,1. 1/2. car out front.
Later I added a extra 2 car out back..

 

I love garages. here where I live, i have a 2 car garage with 2 older cars, dug out a part of my back yard to put in a 2 car carport. at another nearby location I have a 28 x48 garage with 2 lean-tos, all filled with car stuff. i had a very large building (approx 200 x50, 3 stories) that i had filled with cars, antiques, archt salvage and just general old stuff. gave the first floor to my SIL & Daughter for their business. still have car parts and old junk filling the rest. I wish i had bought more large buildings to fill up.

 

When you step into the garage, you’re not just fixing cars. You’re fixing yourself, one turn of the wrench at a time.

 

Garages add value here, especially in the older neighbourhoods where they are scarce. Criminal activity is a factor: cars on the street get stolen or broken into.

But having said that, just being able to put the car behind a tall gate adds a lot. It's because to most people a car is a short-term purchase, to which they don't get attached, really. All they want is to prevent the possibility of the car not being there or usable in the few hours' time before the car is used again. Because it really is a matter of hours. Cars are going to mileage rather than age in time, and people call that durable: cars aren't built for sparing use over extended periods. Better get as much use as possible out of the thing while you can.

That is contrary to what I want. A garage to me is car storage, not overnight holding. That's why we have a lock-up garage, in a neighbourhood where many don't, where it is possible for me to get to most places on foot or by bus. We've got a walk score of 88, which is very good. I'm coming out of temporary retirement to do a project, and that means using the car much more often than I recently did: all of two or three times a week.

I don't want a literal daily driver at all. I don't want to need to own a car that is practical as a daily driver. If I'm not in a position to have more than a little hatchback, then at least let that little hatchback be in hairier tune than you'd call sensible. And let it be properly stowed the times I'm not using it.

 

Make garage people normal again!

 

Living up here on the tundra I grew up on a farm where garages or sheds were to store tractors and equipment in. Cars and trucks sat outside. Learned to despise those sub zero days and walking out to see if the old heap would start.
Fast forward to my wife and I looking to buy our first house. Third house we looked at we hit the jackpot.
3/4 of a mile to work. No wasted time on a commute.
1/2 acre lot at the end of dead end street. Farm fields are our neighbors.
Railroad tracks next to the backyard. No f'n people behind us and in a week the 3 daily trains were barely noticed.
2-1/2 car garage. I sent the wife in to look at the layout inside while I wandered the yard and garage.
She liked the floor plan so we bought it. It was our starter house we haven't left in 43 years.
From day 1 our daily drivers have been garaged in the winter. Car projects started in April and work stopped in November and no matter what stage were set outside until Spring. 20 years ago I got a 40x60 building so no work is done at the house any more. I have never been much of a builder, I scrap, dismantle and buy and sell.
I did not buy a house to have leave my cars sit outside.

 

I’m thinking that if you can afford the building then you can afford the insulation to keep it warm and cool and the HVAC system to do so.

 

I'm pretty darn lucky to have a supportive wife/partner. My need for shop space has been part of the calculation for any home purchase. The current shop is larger than the home. I do make a lot of effort to make the home as nice and comfortable for her as possible. Also have agreed to make one to two days a week "non-shop" days. Compromise is important, from both partners. Good luck in your search.

 

Something to consider before buying a home.

Has anyone ever noticed that as you grow older people often say that their house is too big for their needs..............but I don't recall ever hearing any of them say that their garage was too big.

 

spot on, our house we have now...the boys were 15&17,,wife wanted a bigger house thats all she would talk about...down the street they built a apt complex... so I stopped by and got one of their flyers... when I got home
I said, looks like you're getting a bigger house,and glanced over at the flyer on the table..she picked it up..hey these are apt.s.. I said yeah.... I'm gonna rent a 2 bedroom for the boys and pay the rent till they are 18.... oh no you are not doing no such a thing.....she never said a word about the house after that.... we now live in too big of house with rooms we don't use...

 

Currently searching for a house to purchase and aside from price, location, and overall condition, the garage is the single most important part of the house for me.

 

It has more to do with not being able to enjoy driving around old cars so much, when it's over 110 out for three months of the year.

There are a lot of places in AZ that have some elevation, it's 4700 feet here, which means it gets a bit colder in winter, but not too hot in the summer.

 

"What was the name on the brain you brought me?"

"Abby someone..."

"Damn your eyes!"

"Too late!"

Considering everything, I feel blessed. Here on Judy's farm, I'm not lacking for garage or storage space. Heated 2 1/2 car attached garage with 220V. A couple of barns. And a good sized shed dedicated only to young Zander's and my special stuff.

 

I live in a small city and near downtown. Most of the homes on our side of town don't have a garage at all. If they have anything, it's likely to be an old carriage house. Some have concrete floors, others just have dirt or wood over dirt. We got damn lucky when we were looking in the area. We told the realtor we needed a two car garage (at least). She found one for us that worked out great! The lot is 10k sqft. The garage is a separate 4 car garage at nearly 850 sqft (26 X 32). Luckily, my wife, like some others, is a car gal. More on the newer OT cars, but still into cars. She's also into the old cars. Right now, with one project under construction, I can only get two other cars in the garage and still DO anything. Once it's done, I'll have both of the old cars in the garage, and two OT cars (DD's). You can see the garage behind the gate down the driveway.

 

That's probably true, my wife wanted to move but we couldn't find a house she liked that would let me build a shop or had a big enough garage. I have a 5 car garage that's bigger than the house and is full, 4 cars, 2 motorcycles, 2 Honda CT 90, a couple of bicycles and a ton of parts and pieces. She's up for sainthood for putting up with me for 55 years, finished my last project, sold 2 cars and said no more projects and then bought a 29 Roadster pickup. Had to have something to do and keep me out of the recliner, she agreed when I said I needed another project. Was supposed to be something to tinker with and ended up a bare frame sitting outside, the frame and drive line is back together so starting on the body now. Hopped up banger, rebuilt with a Snyder's 5:5 to 1 head, Burns intake with a Holley 94 and an old Mallory dual point distributor.

 

I like garages so much I have one originally built onto the home in 1956 a 20'x40' garage and had a second one built in 2004 a 28'x28' I am "abnormal"

 

MGGA - Make Garages Great Again.

 

Home sweet home